Last Updated on April 22, 2023 by Ewen Finser
Freshbooks vs Honeybook are cloud-based accounting services that offer small businesses and self-employed individuals automated billing, time tracking, and invoicing. These apps allow users to send professional-looking invoices and track the time they spend on various projects. Both Freshbooks vs Honeybook boast mobile apps, so you can work on your business from anywhere in the world.
Bottom Line Up Front
Freshbooks offers a longer trial for you to test it out, and they have more robust features for medium-large businesses. They offer a mobile app for more user-friendly access and they’re available nearly everywhere in the world. However, they’re more expensive.
Honeybook is a great option for freelancers and small businesses because it’s more affordable, although they do offer fewer features and don’t have a mobile app.
Main Differences Between Freshbooks vs Honeybook
The main differences between Freshbooks vs Honeybook are:
- Freshbooks offers a free 30-day trial whereas Honeybook offers a free 14-day trial.
- Freshbooks starts at $19 per month whereas Honeybook starts at $5 per month for the first 100 customers, and then goes up to $18 per month.
- Freshbooks offers many different integrations whereas Honeybooks only has a few.
- Freshbooks has more robust features whereas Honeybook
- Freshbooks is available in about 200 countries, whereas Honeybook is only available in about 120 countries.
Freshbooks Overview
Freshbooks has many features that are sure to be helpful for small businesses and self-employed individuals, including the ability to send professional invoices that automatically include your logo, set up recurring billing, calculate taxes, track time spent on projects, sync with Google Drive files, connect bank accounts with automated payment reminders, store archived documents electronically in the cloud, and secure your account with two-factor authentication.
Freshbooks advantages
Freshbooks is a more established business with several awards and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. It has been around since 2003, while Honeybook was only founded in 2010. Freshbooks also offers your clients the option to pay via credit card or PayPal through its website, while payments on Honeybook must be done through Stripe, another online payment system.
Freshbooks pricing
At the time of this writing, Freshbooks offers plans for $19, $39, or $79 per month depending on the number of clients you serve. The $19 plan comes with unlimited invoices and expenses while the other two plans come with unlimited invoices, expenses, projects, and storage. All three plans include live phone support Monday through Friday, tax reports, time tracking, and bank account integration.
Freshbooks also offers a free 30-day trial, which is longer than that of Honeybook.
Freshbooks design
Freshbooks has a clean, professional design that is simple to navigate. It features large icons on the left-hand side for navigating different pages and features, as well as quick links at the top of each page. The dashboard gives you an overview of how many clients you have, how much money your business currently has in its accounts, how many bills you have due, and how many invoices have been sent.
Freshbooks integrations
Freshbooks has a pretty extensive list of integrations with apps you may already be using, including Dropbox and Google Drive. At the time of this writing, it is also possible to connect Freshbooks to Slack for real-time updates, PayPal for accepting credit cards on your website, Stripe for online invoices and recurring billing options, Xero for connecting bank accounts, and even Salesforce.
Freshbooks mobile app
Freshbooks has a mobile app for both iPhone and Android. The app lets you send invoices, track time spent on projects, sync files from your computer to the cloud, and connect bank accounts with automated payment reminders.
Freshbooks customer support
Freshbooks offers live phone support Monday through Friday. You can contact customer service either by calling or chatting with them online. The Freshbooks website also features an extensive list of articles on various topics related to your business, including how to set up recurring invoices or use time tracking.
Pros:
- Offers integrations with many third-party apps and services
- Features a user-friendly design
- Contains robust features
- Offers phone support
Cons:
- More expensive than Honeybook
- Does not offer a freelancer plan
- Requires 30-day advanced notice of cancellation or you will pay for an additional month
Honeybook Overview
Honeybook is a newer business than Freshbooks with fewer awards. While it has an A- rating from the Better Business Bureau as of this writing, it also has nine closed complaints as opposed to Freshbooks’ two. Honeybook offers unlimited invoices and projects, and both plans come with unlimited storage.
Honeybook advantages
Honeybook is a more affordable option for small businesses and freelancers with a starting price of $5 per month as opposed to Freshbooks’ starting price of $19 per month. The only drawback is that the first 100 customers will receive this price, so if you are among the first 100 to sign up you might want to do so soon.
Honeybook’s Solo Plan is also better suited for freelancers since it does not have any team collaboration features, unlike Freshbooks’ Team Plan.
Honeybook pricing
Honeybook’s pricing is where it really starts to shine. It has a plan that allows you to create up to five clients for $5 per month, making the cost of this software incredibly affordable for small business owners or freelancers who do not plan on managing more than five clients at a time. There are no hidden fees or surprise charges, unlike Freshbooks.
Honeybook also has a free 30-day trial with no credit card required, just like Freshbooks.
Honeybook design
Honeybook does not have quite as professional of a design as Freshbooks with fewer images and less white space, but it is still easy to navigate. The left-hand side of the page features different options for adding clients, invoices, projects, expenses, bank accounts, or support tickets.
Honeybook integrations
At the time of this writing Honeybook only has one integration with Xero. However, if you are not already using Xero, you may want to go with the company that offers more integrations because it enables you to connect your Freshbooks account with other apps.
Honeybook mobile app
Honeybook does not have an app for iPhone or Android, but they do have a mobile-friendly website. This allows you to access your account from your mobile device, but you cannot start new projects or send invoices.
Honeybook customer support
Honeybook does not offer live chat or phone support, although they do have a help page full of useful articles on how to use the software. Honeybook also has a forum where current customers can discuss the software with each other and ask questions, which may be a good resource if you need information from other people who are already using the program.
Pros:
- An affordable option for freelancers
- Offers a 30-day free trial
- Offers a user-friendly design
- Free support forum
Cons:
- Fewer integrations than Freshbooks
- Does not offer live chat or phone support
- Contains less robust features
Alternatives
While Freshbooks and Honeybook are both good options in their own right, there are plenty of other accounting software solutions you may want to look at before subscribing. Some of these may be better suited to your unique needs than either Freshbooks or Honeybook.
Zoho Books
One alternative is Zoho Books, which is comparably priced to Freshbooks at $19 per month for its cheapest plan. It offers unlimited invoices and projects in addition to time tracking, bank downloads, advanced reporting, and the ability to track your business’ cashflow.
QuickBooks Self-Employed
If you are an independent contractor, freelancer, or small business owner who is looking for a way to log your income and expenses tax deductions, QuickBooks Self-Employed may be right for you. It costs $8 per month plus additional fees for any additional features that you are interested in. It also offers both phones and live chat support Monday through Friday from 6 am to 8 pm PT, which makes it a great option for self-employed people who often work odd hours.
Xero
Xero is another accounting software option that has many of the same features as Freshbooks and Honeybook. However, it has a unique credit card payment feature that can help you keep track of your business’ monthly expenses so you never miss a deduction again. This plan costs $9 per month plus additional fees for any add-ons such as payroll services.
QuickBooks Online
If you are a freelancer, contract worker, or small business owner who is looking for an affordable alternative to Freshbooks and Honeybook that offers unlimited invoices and projects in addition to several other customizable features, QuickBooks Online may be the right choice for you. This software costs $19 per month plus additional fees for additional features, although if you are looking for a no-frills accounting solution at an affordable price, this may be the way to go.
Expensify
Another option is Expensify which offers customizable features like per-user permissions and custom onboarding messages in addition to unlimited projects and invoices. The pricing structure includes a free basic plan, a pro plan at $5 per month, and an enterprise plan for larger companies requiring more robust features.
Zenefits
Zenebfits may be a good fit for Slack users since it can integrate with the chat app. Along with invoicing software, this program offers HR and benefits tools in addition to automated payroll features that will make your life much easier when you are preparing your business taxes. This software costs $30 per month plus additional fees for add-ons.
FAQs
Question: Can I switch from another accounting software to Freshbooks?
Answer: Yes, you can download a CSV file of your information from most other apps and upload it into your Freshbooks dashboard so that you do not have to enter all of the information again. You can also automatically import some data without using a CSV file.
Question: What is the best option for small business owners?
Answer: If you are a small business, then the Solo Plan at Honeybook is probably your best option. It has all of the features that you need in order to create and send invoices, track time, download expenses to your bank account, communicate with clients via email or phone calls, and more for just $5 per month.
Question: What’s the difference between Freshbooks’ Solo Plan and Honeybook’s?
Answer: Freshbooks offers unlimited storage with its Solo Plan, while Honeybook only offers unlimited invoices and projects. The primary difference is that people who use Freshbooks mostly to manage their accounting functions will probably need more than five clients at a time if they are not using any other software such as Xero.
Question: What if I need more than five clients at a time?
Answer: If you need to manage more than five clients at once, then Freshbooks is probably your best option. They offer a free 30-day trial with a money-back guarantee, so you can try the software without paying anything.
Question: Does Honeybook offer alternative plans for larger businesses?
Answer: In addition to the Solo Plan, Honeybook offers a Team Plan for businesses that have more than five clients per month. However, the features on the Team Plan aren’t as robust as some of those that Freshbooks offers.
Question: Does Freshbooks offer alternative plans for larger businesses?
Answer: Yes, in addition to its Solo Plan, Freshbooks offers a Pro and Enterprise Plans. These plans offer advanced features that larger businesses will probably need, such as the ability to create multiple user profiles and offline time tracking.
Final Thoughts
Freshbooks is a great service for those who want to track time, send professional invoices and bills, and keep their business organized. With features such as live phone support and tax reports, Freshbooks offers small businesses the tools they need to grow their brand and expand their client base. However, it’s a bit more expensive.
At its core, Honeybook is a simple invoicing platform that does not cost much. It is also designed with freelancers in mind, which might make it the more appealing option if you are a single-person business or do not plan on managing more than five clients. However, it doesn’t have as many robust features or integrations.